The Choice: Why More Seniors Prefer Home Care, and Why They May Still Be Frightened

As people age, they may experience a certain level of anxiety, stress, doubt, and fear. They wonder what’s going to happen if they need help, can’t get around on their own, and whether or not family or friends are going to be willing or capable of assisting. Some already understand the benefits of home care support, but others think the only option is nursing home care.

The vast majority of Americans prefer to ‘age in place,’ which essentially means remaining in the comfort of their own home. That usually requires some direct physical and possibly emotional or mental support and assistance, often provided through home care services. But what about those who may require more significant medical attention?

The thought of moving into a nursing home can be downright frightening for many seniors, often because they hear horror stories about the conditions, neglect, or overwhelmed staff members who simply don’t have the support needed to properly care for all of the patients at the facility.

“The former operators of an upstate New York nursing home have admitted endangering the welfare of a 94-year-old resident by failing to provide sufficient staff.

State Attorney General Barbara Underwood on Wednesday announced the guilty pleas of Joseph Zupnik and Daniel Herman. They’re the former operators of Focus Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Cooperstown. The center has been under new ownership and management since early 2017.

Zupnik and Herman had been accused in connection with the case of a woman who was left in a recliner in a common area for 41 hours without adequate care in 2016. They’re scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 10.”

These types of stories repeat over and over, but what about home care? Much of the media reporting about these services involve shortages of staff, underpaid caregivers who don’t have experience, fraud, abuse, neglect, and so on. This type of media speculation and attention can make it seem as though an elderly person has to choose between the proverbial rock and hard place.

For some, it may not even seem like a choice, especially if they don’t fully appreciate and understand the value of experienced, qualified home health care providers, including visiting nurses. It becomes incumbent upon agencies to help educate the general public, provide them valuable information, and give them an opportunity to see, firsthand, precisely what makes this a far more advantageous option for men and women of advancing years.

The Choice: Why More Seniors Prefer Home Care, and Why They May Still Be Frightened

Description

As people age, they may experience a certain level of anxiety, stress, doubt, and fear. They wonder what’s going to happen if they need help, can’t get around on their own, and whether or not family or friends are going to be willing or capable of assisting. Some already understand the benefits of home care support, but others think the only option is nursing home care.